


the infinite curse of a lonely heart

by dandelionlighters



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Cupid - Freeform, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:33:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22489474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandelionlighters/pseuds/dandelionlighters
Summary: The man’s name was Eros. Humans called him Cupid.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 77
Kudos: 584





	1. Chapter 1

At first, there was silence.  


It was different than the quiet the man had suffered in that place the whispers called _Malivore_. It was less-consuming, and his knees did not wobble when he walked. And when he managed to blink his eyes open, he found that he was no longer surrounded by darkness. 

For centuries, he had served as a winged assistant to Aphrodite, doing her bidding and sometimes—when she wasn’t looking—his own. He had been reaching for an arrow from his quiver when _it_ had happened. He had felt a pull at the back of his head one second, and then he had disappeared from existence in the next. 

The man’s name was Eros. Humans called him Cupid. 

He thought it was rather stupid, but Aphrodite had always found it amusing. Where was she now? He wondered. Did she forget him? Like the voices said she would? No. That wasn’t possible. 

Eros looked back to his current predicament and tried to focus, but he did not immediately recognize any of his surroundings. His foot was stuck in a dark puddle, and when he lifted it to take another step, the liquid clung to him. 

Eros sighed with annoyance, reaching down to smooth out his chiton. His time in Malivore had wrinkled it. Just a bit.  


Glancing up and around him  again, he noticed a boy across from him, wearing such a mismatch of colors that Eros found himself confused, and slightly disgusted. 

  
How long had he been stuck in _Malivore_? Were humans suddenly comfortable wearing such barbaric garments? 

He didn’t have much time to wonder, because the boy was staring back. That confused him, for the most part, because he had never met a single human who could actually see him. It wouldn’t be a problem. With a snap of his fingers, he was once again invisible. 

“I, uh, what?” the boy choked out, and Eros bit back a laugh at the way he stammered over his words.

The boy rubbed at his forehead, and then walked away. 

  
Eros’ thoughts drifted back to Aphrodite, as they always seemed to do. He needed to find her as soon as possible. Throughout his life, he had been consumed by her beauty, and though he was only a peasant to her, she had been a queen to him. 

Eros continued his trek across the town, and saw that much had changed from before his time to now. The buildings were cramped and sharp, and, although they were wide and symmetrical, they weren’t particularly tall and held no harmony. There were no temples or columns like he was used to, and his heart briefly pounded with a nostalgia his lack of humanity could not let him feel. 

There was a sign to his left, but it was not in Greek. He could still understand it. It read: Mystic Falls. 

He found humor in it, and laughed to himself, wondering if he would find a mystical being the sign so implied. 

His mind drifted from Aphrodite, in that mere second, and he was once again drawn to the boy he had seen earlier. Had he been mystical? 

He decided to find out—then snapped his fingers once experimentally, and again twice in the direction the boy had left. 

His eyes almost instantly adjusted to the sudden darkness, and for once he became afraid that he was again in _Malivore_ , but saw quickly that was not the case. 

He was in a room with many humans, but they could not see him and fear did not strike his heart again. He found the human he had been looking for within seconds, sitting on an ottoman with another human. 

She was female, and if he had allowed himself to think about it, he would have compared her beauty to Aphrodite. Their hair color was much of the same, and there was a plumpness to her lips that appealed to him in the same way Aphrodite’s did. Eros thought that she must be the boy’s lover. 

He watched as the boy wrapped his arm around the girl’s shoulder, and then a second later as she shrugged it off. The boy looked down at the blatant rejection, and Eros almost felt bad.  


  
He could help, of course. The god reached for his quiver, but his hand stopped against the end of an arrow as the girl began to talk. 

“Stop it, Landon,” she growled through clenched teeth formed into a smile. _Landon_. What a weird name. “Remember what I said earlier?” 

“Josie doesn’t care,” Landon replied, and Eros thought he sounded very stupid. Humans always cared, sometimes too less, but most commonly too much, and that was their downfall. “We talked. She _knows_ , Hope. Everything is okay.” 

Ah. So, the girl’s name was _Hope_. Eros found it very fitting. 

Eros watched curiously as Landon placed a soothing hand on Hope’s own, but the girl acted as if it burned her instead and pulled away. Eros leaned in, his interest even more piqued. 

He continued to watch as the girl stood up suddenly, so quickly that Eros’ eyes almost didn’t catch it, and the man realized that _this_ human was the mystical one. He could see it now—the golden flecks across her irises, the way her eyes almost glowed, the way she held herself. 

Eros looked around to see if he could glimpse what had caught Hope’s attention—what had made her heart-beat pick up so dangerously, what had caused her to reject her lover’s touch so abruptly. 

He found his answer in another girl, and his eyes furrowed in confusion. He had never seen a girl ignite a reaction like that in another girl. 

But it was a different time, and love knew no bounds. 

The other girl was dark-haired and her eyes were brown as well. She was watching Hope and Landon, but her pupils were tracing the spot where Hope’s hand lay. Eros caught a moment of longing flicker across her face, but he could not tell if it was for the girl or the boy. 

The dark-haired girl left a second later, and Eros wondered if she was being chased. Her footsteps were too quick, and the rapid pace of her heart was not unlike Hope’s own. The man realized that this must be the _Josie_ Landon had mentioned. She, too, had a peculiar name. 

“I’m gonna go after her,” Hope said to Landon, but Eros thought that she must have been talking to herself, because she did not even glance at him or wait for a response. 

Eros followed Hope as she rounded the corner, almost jogging down the hallway. Was she _that_ determined to talk to the other girl? 

He then watched as Hope stopped in her steps. It seemed that the girl had lost track of Josie.

The girl sniffed the air, as if she could smell out her location, and Eros once again became curious. Had humans evolved to the point where their sense of smell was so advanced? 

Maybe not, because Hope sighed and closed her eyes, and Eros saw the misery written across the paleness of her face. He did not immediately understand why, because Josie was just hiding two doors down in a closet. 

Of course, Hope did not know that, and her affection for the girl had only made her blind. Eros almost tutted in irritation. He wanted to take the opportunity to make himself visible, and ask Hope for her help back to Aphrodite. She was the mystical being he was looking for, he was sure of it. 

Perhaps she needed some incentive first, he realized, and with another snap of his fingers, the door hiding Josie slowly drifted open. If he could help out Hope now, she would be more inclined to assist him later. 

Smiling, Eros stepped forward as Hope’s eyes snapped open and towards the widening door, and he leaned forward in anticipation. 

He watched as her pupils dilated so extremely, the man was sure that they were now completely black. He knew that she had once again caught wind of Josie, and the two were bound to interact. His breath stilled in his throat for a second too long and he choked on it, and then he shook his head after remembering that he didn’t even need to breathe to live in the first place. 

Eros looked over to where he knew Josie was leaning against a side of the closet, his eyes seeing through the wall to observe the girl as her chest rose and fell in deep, heaving breaths. Her own eyes had not noticed the door opening. Her panic had made her blind, too. He wondered if she felt suffocated, as he often did, watching Aphrodite flirt with countless men and not spare him a single glance. 

That was the thing about being the god of love. Every single day, he had been forced to watch humans love each other—at the wrong time, or with the wrong person. But, he could never experience it himself. He could _love_ and _want_ and _need_ all he wanted, but he was doomed to never be loved back forever—he was infinitely cursed to be lonely. 

Eros had seen enough. These girls obviously cared for each other much more than platonically, and he would not let them get away with hiding it. 

He would not allow history to repeat itself, and with little to no hesitation, Eros readied his bow and nocked back an arrow. 


	2. Chapter 2

The tip of the arrow landed sharply between the mystic girl’s shoulder blades, right behind her heart, and a smug smile danced across Ero’s lips. 

His time in _Malivore_ had not weakened his skills, and his aim was as sharp as ever. 

The girl herself faltered for a second or two, her step stuttering once then twice, but then her feet picked up speed, and Eros wondered if she had ever really felt the hit at all. 

Josie was another case altogether. He could not shoot an arrow through the closet wall, and Hope was currently blocking the view he had of the dark-haired girl’s heart. 

Ultimately, whatever happened would be up to Hope. Hope—who was now standing in front of the open door as if it was closed. Eros noticed that she looked hesitant to make a move, and he watched as she sucked in a sharp breath that resounded loudly in his ears. 

What was she so reluctant for? 

Josie had not yet noticed the other girl, her back to the door as she continued to breathe heavily. Eros rolled his eyes. Was she seriously having a nervous breakdown over something so small? The girls had merely locked eyes. 

Nothing happened for a few moments more, and Eros had the sudden idea to strike Hope with another arrow to get things moving. It confounded him that his love dart had not yet shown any effect. 

He almost giggled in delight when he saw that Josie had finally noticed Hope, and she didn’t look happy about it. He knew that would soon change. 

“Leave me alone, Hope.” Her voice was firm and harsh, and her lips drawn into a mean frown, but Eros could hear the weakness in her voice; he could see the misery hidden in the corners of her lips. “You have Landon. You have the entire school back. What more could you want?” 

Hope’s eyes flashed once, then twice, and Eros knew that his poison had finally infected her heart. 

The girl closed the door, and Eros barely managed to slide through as it shut behind him. He thought it was quite rude, but then he remembered that they couldn’t see him. 

“I don’t want Landon,” Hope said, so resolutely that Eros almost clapped in excitement. Aphrodite would be proud of him. Josie froze in her place, trying to act disinterested, but the man could tell that she was hanging onto the other girl’s every word. “I want you.” 

Hope took a step forward, and Josie took two in reverse. Her back hit the wall. There was nowhere left to go. 

With another single step forward, the two girls were barely inches apart. Josie leaned away as best as she could, but Hope was too close, all-surrounding and encompassing in a way that Eros knew the brunette would not be able to resist. All the same, the man had half the mind to look away himself. The tension in the room was almost too much for him, and he had the sudden, sick feeling of intruding. It was...unfamiliar. 

“What are you doing?” Josie whispered, her eyes slowly falling shut. Victory was not far off for Eros—Hope would be indebted to him soon. 

Hope ignored the other girl’s question and laid her hands flat against the wall, one on either side of Josie’s head, effectively trapping her. “Don’t you want me, too?” she husked. 

“I-I...” Josie tried to say, but a pair of lips on her own quickly silenced her. She let out a sigh and pressed into Hope like she had never tried to hold out against the other girl in the first place.   


The mystic girl pushed back just as fervently, her hands finding Josie’s own and entwining them together against the wall. Where their fingers met together, the skin glowed bright red. Eros eyebrows knitted together in confusion. 

He hadn’t seen that peculiarity for centuries, not since his first visit to Rome. He laughed with the realization that Josie seemed to be a witch. Things could _not_ get more entertaining. 

Within a few seconds, Josie tilted her head to the side and parted her lips. Hope did the same and deepened the kiss. They stayed like that for several long minutes, not releasing each other to even _breathe_. Eros wondered if that was no longer a necessity for humans. Had they really progressed so much? 

Yet, the two girls grew apart panting soon enough, and Josie took the time to lean against the wall again.   


Eros opened his mouth to speak, thinking it was perhaps time to make his presence known to Hope and teleport them both somewhere else, but the girl decided that she wasn’t done yet. She moved forward again and softly pressed her lips along the skin of Josie’s neck. Eros wrinkled his nose and looked away in disgust as the brunette’s small moans echoed in his ears. 

She dropped her mouth open and scratched her nails lightly at the back of Hope’s neck. Eros’ eyes widened with panic. He was not fast enough to snap his fingers and make the arrow invisible, and Josie’s hand met the shaft. 

She paused in confusion, and Hope followed a second later, but she did not completely release the hold she had on Josie’s hips. The witch lightly pushed against Hope’s shoulders, forcing the girl to drop her hands and back away. 

“What’s...on your back?” Josie asked, slightly out of breath. Her question did not immediately garner Hope’s attention, who was staring at her neck with something akin to pride. Red filled Josie’s cheeks and she blushed when she realized where the other girl’s focus was. Eros watched as they both shook themselves out of it and sighed. If Josie ever realized what had truly transpired, Hope might not want to help him. 

“What?” Hope murmured, and then reached behind her back in confusion. Her hand wrapped around the arrow, but before she could do anything else Eros snapped his fingers. 

They both disappeared from the room, and Eros transported them to a distant place. It was the forest surrounding the building, and Hope found herself in a kneel on the ground as she tried to catch her breath. Teleportation had not been very good to her. 

“There, there...” Eros drawled, almost bored as he inspected his nails. They were immaculate, not a single speck of dirt underneath them. “Do not breathe so quickly.” 

Hope stood up and whirled around at him, face twisting at the unfamiliar voice. 

“Who the hell are you?” she spat, but her eyes were still heavy-lidded with desire. Thoughts of Josie still plagued her, and Eros knew that would not do. He snapped his fingers again, appearing right behind Hope. He grabbed the shaft of the arrow and swiftly pulled it out of her back. 

He twirled the arrow between his hands, and she grunted as her own hand came around to reach for a wound that was not there. It had already healed. 

“I am Eros, God of Love.” He held out his hands to his sides. He wore the title proudly. Though, the name obviously did not register to the girl across from him and she blinked in exasperation. “I guess...I am better known as Cupid to your kind.” 

Recognition flared in the skies of her eyes, and Eros smirked. She eyed the arrow in his hand, and in seconds he was sent flying into the nearby trunk of a tree. He gasped out as the bark stung his back. 

“I must say,” he muttered. “That was not the thank you I was expecting.” 

She ignored him, content to drown in her own relentless thoughts. He knew she wondered if everything had been an illusion—a horrible figment of her imagination. 

“So none of it was real?” Her eyes were slight with fury, but he could not mistake the emotion for what it truly was. Disappointment. 

“Of course not,” he told her, standing up from his previous position against the tree. “Every part that occurred was, indeed, true.” 

“Every look...every word...every _kiss_.” He smiled and opened his mouth to say more, but found himself sharply cut off. 

“I can’t even trust you!” she yelled, eyes burning. The spare leaves and air around him began to build into a small tornado of wind. “Take us back, now. I need to get the arrow out of Josie.” 

Surely she was joking. Eros laughed loud and bellied, and Hope cringed at the harsh sound.  


“My dear, I only shot one arrow.” 

The girl froze, and her clenching fists went limp at her sides. The floating dirt and leaves fell to the ground. He could almost see the outline of her heart against the skin of her chest as it thudded painfully beneath her rib cage. 

“Wha-what do you mean? Why, why did you—why me?” she whispered, more like a whimper than anything else, and he didn’t wait to answer her. 

“You are obviously very powerful.” He glanced at the leaves on the ground. “To put it simply, the truth is...I need your help. I thought you would be more _receptive_ to my proposal if I could win your favor first.” 

“Win my favor?” Outrage painted her words. “You manipulated my feelings, and you probably ruined my relationship with Josie. She’ll never look at me the same.” 

“But that’s what you wanted, right?” His lips stretched into a dangerous smile. He had delivered this speech countless times. “Looks across crowded rooms. Words that left more unspoken than not. Loving her silently—it was never going to be enough for you, not really.” 

“I love Landon,” she said, too forcefully to be convincing, and Eros had to stifle another laugh.

“Darling, it is just you and me here. There is no need for dishonesty.” 

“I’m not lying,” she growled out, and he sighed. 

“Hmm.” If she was going to continue to be this stubborn, he would not get what he wanted. “Then, tell me, did your heart not jump with joy when she allowed you to kiss her? Did you wonder if it would ever beat again when you let go of her? Did you not feel complete elation when I informed you that she was not under the effects of my arrow?” 

She looked down at the ground, and he examined her as she did so. Shame and guilt were written across her face, but there was something deeper still. A corner of her lips twitched up. It was as if she was stuck there, remembering the intimacy she had shared with Josie—the closeness of the witch’s body against her own, the feeling of soft lips igniting fire beneath her eyelids, the rampant thoughts in her head begging for _more_ , _more_ , _more_. 

She looked back up at him then, and he had his answer. 

  
She would help him. 

Aphrodite would be his once more.  


And he would stop at nothing to find her. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as requested

Hope was not going to help him. 

But she would let him think so. 

“Where are we going?” Eros asked. 

“To find your girlfriend,” Hope lied. Nope. That wasn’t where she was taking him at all. She was _really_ leading the new monster of the week to the dungeons, but she wouldn’t be telling him that. 

“For the last time,” Eros snapped with a huff of annoyance, “she is not my girlfriend, as you barbarians like to label the term.” 

He scoffed and looked away, muttering, “We are much more than that.” 

Hope didn’t really care. Half of her mind was still foggy with thoughts of her kiss with Josie. With... _Josie_. She had to repeat it several times in her head for the name to even register. 

Josie. 

Her friend. 

Her friend that hated her right now. 

Her friend that she kissed. 

The truth was, Hope didn’t know what she wanted. She couldn’t tell if she was only thinking about Josie like this because of that damn arrow, or if there was something deeper there. 

She loved Landon, she was sure of that. But Josie? She didn’t know. There was also the small problem that Josie had kissed her back, and the siphoner didn’t have an arrow to blame. Or maybe Eros had lied about that, too. 

Hope shook her head to clear her thoughts. None of it was real, regardless of what the winged manbaby had told her. He was just tricking her so she would help him. What he didn’t know, was that she was going to trick him right back. 

“She’s in here.” Hope led the god into one of the dungeon cells around the corner. Once he stepped inside after her, she stepped right back out and slammed the door shut behind him. 

Eros spun around at the sudden sound of the metal door closing. He narrowed his eyes at Hope and frowned, not yet understanding her betrayal. 

“I hope you are not playing games with me,” he said, striding up to her. His hands met the metal bars of the cell and he shook them. “Where is my Aphrodite?” 

Hope felt a little guilty, now. Whatever. She needed to keep the school safe. It didn’t matter who got hurt in the process, as long as it wasn’t anyone that she cared about. 

“You should stop looking,” Hope told him, crossing her arms. 

Eros scoffed. A dry laugh tore from his throat. “And why is that?” he asked. 

For a second, Hope could have sworn she saw a shadow of Malivore in his eyes, or maybe that was just a reflection of the darkness in her own. She shook her head to clear her vision, her thoughts. 

“She won’t remember you,” she said simply. It wasn’t simple, not really, but there was no other way to say it. Perhaps she was the best person to break the news, after all. “None of the people you care about will.” 

“Oh, _really_?” 

Hope nodded. 

“You must forgive me for not believing you,” Eros spat sarcastically. Hope resisted the urge to cover her ears as he bellowed out, “I am the the god of love himself. The mighty Eros. How could anyone _dare_ to forget me?” 

Hope gave him another bored, unimpressed look. She watched him shake the bars again and try to open the door. 

“Let me out right this instant,” he ordered. Hope did _not_ let him out right that instant. She had to press her lips together to hide a smirk. 

“Fine.” Eros sighed, then said, “I’ll do it myself.” 

He slowly raised his eyes to hers and brought his hand up. He snapped his fingers. Once. Twice. Nothing happened. Hope huffed impatiently as the man started to get a little desperate. 

He tried to snap his fingers using his other hand, and then when that didn’t work, he slammed his fist into the door of the cell, and when that didn’t work, he tried it all again. 

This time, when he hit the metal door, the magical barrier spell Hope placed on the cell threw him flying back on his ass. 

“What kind of sorcery is this?” he yelled, shooting up off the floor and dusting his weird-ass costume off. 

“A simple barrier spell,” Hope told him with a careless shrug of her shoulders. “Maybe you’re not so _mighty_ after all.” 

“Insulting me is not going to get you what you want, my dear,” Eros said. “Now, I helped you, and I am more than willing to do so again if you would do me the simple courtesy of returning my favor first. Are we in agreement?” 

“Hmm.” Eros smiled as Hope pretended to think about it for a couple of seconds. “No,” she deadpanned. 

The god’s eyes flashed dangerously. Hope realized that she couldn’t tell what color they were. For a second she thought they were red, but the next moment she was sure they were green. 

“Do not make me do this,” he murmured, almost to himself, but then his eyes met hers again. It unnerved her. Not his eyes, but the way he talked. It just...bothered her. “If you won’t help me, you leave me no choice but to force your hand.”

Hope tilted her head to the side curiously as Eros reached behind him and pulled another arrow out of his quiver. It looked different than the one he had used against her earlier. 

Much, much different. 

She took a cautious step back and her shoulders hit the wall behind her. Realistically, she knew he couldn’t hurt her. At least not while he was in the cell. So why did her heart start to race as she watched him nock back the arrow with his bow? 

She blinked and readied herself as he pointed it at her. Whatever. Even if the arrow _did_ manage to get through the cell and her barrier spell, she would just catch it before it hit her. 

“Hope.” 

An urgent, hurried pair of footsteps coming down from the staircase distracted her. Hope felt her breath catch in her throat. Later, she would regret turning away from Eros. She missed the smile on his face as he found his new target. 

“Raf told me he saw you come down here,” Josie said, running down the steps. She didn’t notice Eros in the cell over. Her eyes were only on Hope. Only saw Hope. “Listen. We need to—“ 

The tribrid wasn’t fast enough.   


“Josie!” 

It was too late. Eros had already pulled the string of his bow back, and all Hope could do was watch as the arrow soared through the air and sunk into its target. Josie. 

For a single, horrifying, awful second, Hope couldn’t bring herself to move. It didn’t seem possible, that Josie could be silenced so easily. That she was talking and breathing and looking at Hope one moment, and then there, laying flat on the ground, eyes shut, mouth closed, the next. 

“Huh,” Eros murmured. Confused. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.” 

The second passed and Hope threw herself forward, one hand under Josie’s head and one on the shaft of the arrow. It was panic, she was sure she was feeling. She couldn’t tell if Josie was breathing, and she couldn’t hear her heartbeat. 

Oh. Oh _no_. No. _No_ —

“Wha-what did you do?” she choked out, unsure if she was gasping for air or begging for answers. “ _What_ wasn’t supposed to happen? What did you do?” 

Eros didn’t answer for a while, long enough that Hope only became more frantic. She moved her hands over the arrow but couldn’t find a wound. There was no blood. No injury. Then why was Josie not breathing? Why was her heart not beating? 

“I said—“ Hope’s eyes went gold with tears. She gritted her teeth together and growled out, “What did you do?” 

Eros smiled. Hope almost wanted to lunge at him, but she couldn’t bring herself to separate from Josie, not even an inch. God. She needed to hear her breathe, she needed to feel her heart beating. 

“Relax, darling,” the god told her. “She is only asleep. You can check for yourself, if you would like. All you need to do is pull out the arrow.” 

Hope was both desperate and an idiot, so she pulled out the arrow and listened hard. Stared at Josie as if willing her to come back to life, but Eros was right.   


She wasn’t dead. She was just sleeping. 

The tribrid leaned back and heaved a sigh of relief. Josie was fine. Hope had just overreacted. But, the truth was, she had been a second away from tearing into her wrist with her bare teeth and force-feeding Josie her blood. 

“So...she’s okay?” Hope ran her fingers gently through the brunette’s hair and looked back at Eros. “Just like that?” 

The god seemed to find that funny. 

“Of course not,” he laughed. “If my arrow is good for anything, she should go through a very great change when she wakes up. If you don’t want to find out what that is, you’ll change your mind about helping me.” 

His eyes darkened. The laughter was gone. Maybe he was done playing games with humans, but Hope was no human. “Or you _will_ face the consequences.” 

A shadow of a smirk danced across his lips. 

“Though,” he paused, “I think you might end up finding yourself rather fond of them.” 

Hope didn’t know what to say. “Screw you,” was all she could manage. 

She needed to get out of here. She needed to get _Josie_ out of here. Somewhere safe. Away from this evil bastard. 

That was how the tribrid found herself stumbling down the hallway of the school a few minutes later, Eros’ laughter echoing behind her on her way out of the dungeons. 

She held Josie up with an arm slung around her waist, the unconscious brunette’s face buried in the crook of her neck. 

Hope debated whether or not she should take Josie to her room or straight to Alaric’s office. It would be easier if she had some help, but the few students that were in the hallway avoided her eyes and didn’t offer. They only pointed and whispered to each other. 

_ Asshats.  _

“Landon!” 

Hope’s breath hitched in relief at the sight of her boyfriend coming down the other end of the hallway. 

“Hope.” Landon didn’t seem to notice the unconscious girl in her arms. “Where did you go? I’ve been looking everywhere—“ 

Only then did he notice Josie. 

“Oh my God. _Josie_.” His green eyes went dim. They darted around wildly until they settled on Hope. “What happened?” 

“New monster,” Hope explained quickly, tugging Josie back up as the siphoner threatened to fall forward again. “Help me carry her to her room.” 

“Are you sure we shouldn’t take her to the hospital wing instead?” Landon asked, looking uncertain. For a second, Hope wondered if Josie would have doubted her like that. Or if she would have just listened to her without asking any questions. 

No. She was being silly. 

The tribrid ignored him and looked down the hallway and back, before changing her mind. 

“Nevermind,” she told Landon. “My room is closer.” 

“Okay.” He stepped forward and held his hands out. A curl of dark hair fell in front of his eyes. “How can I help?” 

“I just told you,” Hope growled out. Landon visibly flinched and took that same step back. She immediately regretted it. She hated seeing that hurt look on his face. 

“Okay. I’m sorry. That was uncalled for,” she apologized, helping the boy sling Josie’s other arm over his own shoulder. Hope didn’t really need his help to carry the girl, but she knew it made him feel more useful when she asked. “I’m just scared. She won’t wake up.” 

“Hey, it’s Josie,” Landon tried to reassure her. It didn’t work, but she would make him think it did. “She’ll be fine. She always is.” 

_No. She always pretends to be,_ Hope thought,but she kept quiet. 

After they got to her room and set Josie down on the bed, Hope threw a knitted blanket over the girl and turned back to Landon. 

“Can you go find Dr. Saltzman and tell him that the new monster is in the dungeons?” she asked him. 

Landon nodded in response, but Hope could tell that he was distracted. His eyes lingered on Josie, dark and doe-eyed. Hope stared at the boy until he finally noticed that she was watching him. 

“Oh.” He blinked. “Now?” 

The tribrid scowled. “Yes, _now_.” 

“Right, right.” Landon stepped back and smiled sheepishly at her, his eyes bright and his cheeks just a little flushed. His smile didn’t soothe her the way she thought it should. 

“Thanks for trusting me with this, babe,” he called out, already one foot out the door. “I won’t let you down! Love you!” 

“Love you, too,” she whispered back, but her eyes were on Josie and Landon didn’t hear her and her heart wasn’t in it, damn it. 

The door shut behind him and Hope let the guilt take over. It tore at her and inside her. Regret made her stomach clench. 

She knew it was her fault. If she hadn’t antagonized Eros, Josie would be fine right now. If she had just listened and helped him, maybe the siphoner would have never gotten hit with that stupid arrow. 

Hope shook her head at herself and watched her friend as she slept. She looked...relaxed. How long had it been? She wondered. Since she had last seen Josie so at peace? 

The tribrid let her gaze wander to Josie’s mouth. The memory of their kiss sent a shiver down her spine. She sighed and looked away, unable to bear it. 

A minute passed. 

“...to talk.” Josie stirred on the bed and mumbled something unintelligible. She turned her head over her shoulder and snuggled deeper into her pillow. “...We need to talk...”

Hope sat down on the bed beside her and shook her gently. It didn’t take long for Josie to wake up. She sat up with a start and shot open her eyes. 

“We need to—“

Josie cut herself off and inhaled sharply. 

“Josie?” Hope asked, frowning a bit. The brunette didn’t look aware of her surroundings at all. Her eyes were glazed over and she looked more than a little out of it. “Are you okay?” 

No answer. 

Just when the tribrid started to panic, Josie blinked once, twice, slowly, so slowly, and then looked her in the eye. 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked, with a giggle that sounded nothing like Hope had ever heard before. “I feel...good. _Really_ good.” 

“You do?” Hope sighed quietly. “Thank God. I thought—“ 

Her words died in her throat. 

The tribrid barely had time to prepare herself before Josie pushed her down, sat right on top of her, and made herself comfortable in her lap. Her back hit the bed and she was met with a pair of hungry, dark eyes. 

Fuck.

Josie looked like she wanted to rip her clothes off.

Hope yelped and tried to sit up and back away, but was stopped by the headboard behind her and Josie’s hips straddling hers. She bit back a whimper and let her eyes fall shut. 

Hot breath ghosted over her ear. Pouty lips pressed a secret kiss to the skin underneath, all but purring out, “I can make you feel good, too.” 


	4. Chapter 4

Hope kept her eyes clenched shut and internally panicked. She didn’t know what to do. With herself. With Josie. Her face was barely an inch or two away from Hope’s own. 

The easy answer was to throw herself off of the bed and put a stop to this, but she could think of nothing but leaning forward and pressing their lips together. 

It was the arrow, she told herself. There was still traces of it left inside of her body, and she simply needed to wait it out. Yes! That was it! 

And _Landon_ , she reminded herself. What about Landon? She had a boyfriend. But thoughts of him were starting to slip away, as if she was waking from a dream. He was a dream. He had always been a dream. And reality had never looked so much better before. 

She lost herself in it. 

The tribrid could smell the intoxicating scent of chamomile and citrus coming off of Josie, and her breath mingled with the siphoner’s own. She wanted a taste. 

_ Just a taste.  _

Her eyes flashing with desire, Josie leaned forward and brushed her lips over Hope’s. It was nothing, just a brief touch, chaste really, but Hope felt her breath hitch in her throat just like the first time. Yet, it was different than their first. 

This kiss was soft and sweet. And this time, Hope wasn’t under the influence of a love arrow. Yet, she couldn’t enjoy it. 

The tribrid stayed still and frozen against the headboard. Josie didn’t seem to like that very much. She tilted her head to the side and tried to press their lips together more firmly, but Hope was a stone statue. 

No. God, what was she _thinking_? She couldn’t cheat on Landon. She wasn’t going to cheat on him. Not _again_ , at least. She loved him. 

Hope squeezed her eyes shut even tighter and tried to quell the guilt rising in her throat like bile. Not only would she be hurting Landon by doing this, but she would also be taking advantage of Josie, who was under the spell of an arrow.

Yet...

She couldn’t bring herself to turn away. 

Josie wasn’t just on top of her hips and against her lips, but she was everywhere. In her skin, in her blood.

She could feel the other girl’s cool fingers slipping underneath her shirt. Josie giggled into Hope’s mouth, her nails scratching lightly over the skin of the tribrid’s toned stomach.

Hope inhaled a shuddering gasp and her eyes rolled into the back of her head without her permission. She realized that this was a very different girl than the one that had quite literally ran away at the sight of her with Landon earlier. A very, _very_ different girl. 

Josie knew what she wanted now, and she was going to get it if Hope didn’t take it away from her. A part of her both longed for and dreaded the moment this would end.

Hope tried to pull away, but Josie only followed after her, slamming their lips back together again. And _again_ , the tribrid didn’t kiss her back. Josie hated that. Hope regretted it. 

The siphoner dug her nails across Hope’s abdomen a second time and tried to get a reaction out of her. Her muscles jumped and trembled at Josie’s touch. Hope couldn’t stop the unhelpful groan that tore from her throat. She didn’t have much time to recover. 

Josie leaned down and rolled her hips down into hers. A hot tongue darted out and swiped at her lips, and Josie—honest to God— _whined_ when they didn’t immediately part for her. The desperate, little noise was like a splash of cold water. 

Hope squeaked and rolled off of the bed, panicked more by herself than by Josie. At least the siphoner had an excuse. 

What was Hope’s? 

“We can’t—“ Hope stammered over her words. She turned around, just so she wouldn’t have to face the other girl. Oh, God. What had she done? “ _I_ can’t.” 

She brought a shaking hand up and ran her fingers over her lips, like she couldn’t believe it. And she couldn’t. 

“Why not?” Josie rolled over on the bed and pouted. Hope turned back around before she could stop herself. She watched as the other girl stretched out her limbs like a cat and frowned adorably. 

The tribrid swallowed hard and took a step back. Josie raised her arms over her head as she stretched. Hope decided to ignore the tanned strip of skin left exposed by the other girl’s shirt riding up. She took another step back, then another, and before long her hand closed around the door knob and she struggled with herself to pull it open. 

“Where are you going?” Josie shot up off the bed, her voice laced with unmistakable panic. 

“I...” Hope shut her eyes and willed herself to leave. “I should—I _need_ to go.” 

Josie came up behind her. The tribrid could feel her warm breath on the back of her neck. Her fingers twitched at her sides with want. Yes. She _wanted_. She wanted nothing more than to—

“Please don’t leave,” Josie whispered. She slowly moved closer until their bodies were pressed together. Hope inhaled sharply and spun around. 

“I’m not.” She backed into the door and wrapped her fingers around Josie’s wrist to stop her fingers, which were trying to sneak back underneath her shirt. “We’re both leaving.” 

“Together?”

Hope bit her lip and nodded. Josie instantly cheered up, like she had never been upset in the first place. Her pout slipped off her face and she beamed, giving Hope the sweetest, most trusting smile the tribrid had ever seen in her life. She flushed and couldn’t quite look the brunette in the eye. 

“I knew you would never leave me,” Josie told her. Hope choked on her saliva. 

“Jo,” she said, more a warning than a reminder. “I’m with Landon.” 

Josie’s eyes were on her mouth. “I don’t care,” she murmured, clearly distracted. She tried to lean in to kiss her again, but Hope dodged her lips. 

She used the other girl’s wrists to reverse their positions and pin Josie to the door. She hoped it was enough to hold her back. Enough to discourage her from trying to make another move. 

“Since when?” Hope narrowed her eyes with concern. None of this made sense. “I thought you were angry with me for dating him.” 

Josie laughed and tried to squirm away from her firm, unshakable grip. Hope only tightened her hold on her and forced their eyes to meet. 

The brunette sighed and gave up struggling. 

“How can I be mad at you?” Josie asked with another giggle. “I love you.” 

_ Me?  _

Hope’s mouth ran dry and she let go of Josie’s wrists without realizing it. The blue of her eyes thinned to black. For a moment, she forgot that this wasn’t real. 

“ _Josie_.” She sucked in a breath. Her voice came out huskier than she meant it to. “You don’t know what you’re saying.” 

“But I do,” Josie breathed out, the lids of her eyes heavy and drooping with desire. There was something of a lazy smirk playing at her lips. “And, if I remember correctly, you kissed me first.” 

Now that her hands were free, the siphoner reached forward and bunched a fist into the fabric of Hope’s shirt. She pulled her to her own body and brushed their lips together again, not yet kissing and yet, too close to deny the intent. 

“I wasn’t myself,” Hope told her softly, so softly, their lips touching with every word. Josie was like a flame. She could feel her warmth _burning_ into her, setting every nerve on fire. “And you’re not yourself right now, either.” 

Josie didn’t seem to hear her. She was too busy trying to press their lips back together. The tribrid swallowed miserably and pushed her away. 

But Josie would not let go. 

The tribrid found herself startled when the other girl slid her hand up her face and gently stroked over her cheek with her thumb. 

“I’ve dreamed about this,” Josie mumbled. Her eyes fluttered shut and she parted her lips. Leaned forward. Tried to attach them to Hope’s own.   


Hope wouldn’t let her. 

“No.” She grabbed Josie’s hands and held them above her head again. Josie stared back at her blankly. “ _No_ ,” she repeated, shaking her. She felt like a parent telling their child not to touch a hot stove. 

Josie just giggled and tried to kiss her again. 

“You’re a much better kisser than Landon,” she blurted out against her lips, sounding delirious. Hope stared at her with wide eyes.

Josie didn’t seem to notice her surprise. 

“Do you think _I’m_ a better kisser than Landon?” she asked, almost absentmindedly. She leaned forward again, but Hope turned her head away, forcing her to kiss the corner of her mouth. 

Josie giggled at that and pecked her cheek. She patiently waited for an answer. 

Hope was breathless. Speechless. She didn’t want to think about it. Something hot and dangerous burned low in her abdomen. 

“Jo.” 

The brunette smiled. 

“Here...” Her eyes sparkled. Hope gulped. 

“I can show you,” Josie said, looking desperate to prove it. It must have been the hundredth time that she tried to kiss Hope. Just one more time and the tribrid thought that she might give in. Hell. Heaven. She didn’t know what this was. Both, maybe. “I promise.” 

Hope stumbled backwards. Her heart was pounding. Hands shaking. 

“Stop,” she whispered, not wanting to hear anymore for both of their sakes. Her voice was weak, more of a plea than anything else. “ _Stop_.”

She watched Josie’s face fall. 

Within seconds, the siphoner looked close to bursting into tears. Her eyes were wet and she was sniffling, struggling to choke down a broken sob. What the hell? The other girl was acting like Hope had said something mean or whatever. Well, she didn’t, but Josie must have thought that Hope was rejecting her. 

And she _was_. 

The tribrid groaned. _Fuck Eros_ , she thought. The siphoner was going to kill her after this was all over. 

“Sorry.” She reached forward and awkwardly patted Josie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” 

Josie’s tears seemed to instantly dry up. She jumped into Hope’s arms and hugged her tight, burying her face into the crook of the tribrid’s neck. Hope found herself giving into the embrace, even as she knew it was wrong. She was tired of running away. 

It wasn’t Josie’s fault that she wasn’t in the right mind, so Hope couldn’t blame her. And if Hope never kissed her back and they only hugged, well, Hope couldn’t blame herself, right? 

“It’s okay,” Josie whispered against the skin of her neck. Her voice came out muffled, but Hope heard her perfectly. “I forgive you.” 

She lifted her head up and stared at the tribrid, their bodies still pressed together. She could have looked almost innocent, but Hope knew better. She could see the glint in Josie’s eyes clear as day. Could see it coming from miles away. 

“Kiss it better?” the siphoner asked. 

Hope cursed inwardly. 


End file.
